Playing around with Poe

ELIZABETHTOWN Edgar will be appearing at The Hand House on Oct. 26 and 27 at 7 p.m. This two-person chamber musical, "Edgar: The Life and Life's Work of Edgar Allan Poe," promises an evening of conversation about love, life, death and darkness from America's most misunderstood writer, who penned such works as "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Telltale Heart" and "The Raven." Drawn entirely from Poe's own letters, stories and poems, this production is virtually a collaborative effort between the show's creators Phill Greenland (pianist, music) and Ethan Angelica (Poe, book) and Edgar himself. Together Greenland and Angelica have come up with an intimate musical look into the man and his work. Though they are based in New York City, the performers are not strangers to the Adirondacks. Both have been showcased at The Lake Placid Center for the Arts: Phill Greenland for his original musical hall productions: "Revusical I and II" and for his direction of "George M. Cohan, in His Own Words" which featured Ethan Angelica as Cohan. "Edgar" has chosen to appear at The Hand House on Route 9N in Elizabethtown because he wants people to feel as though they have stepped into his very own parlor. The Hand House retains many of the original furnishings from the 1800s. In 1849, Augustus Hand--by turns Congressman, Justice of the NYS Supreme Court, and ex officio member of the Court of Appeals--and his wife built what folks fondly call The Hand House today. The Hands raised their sons here, beginning a five-generation tradition of lawyers and judges. The Greek Revival house has changed little over the years with the exception of a few Victorian flourishes added in the 1880s and '90s. In 1979, the Bruce L. Crary Foundation (which provides scholarships to students in the North Country) bought the house to use for office and meeting space. "Edgar" suggests you leave the children at home for the evening since he does carry on in the vernacular of the day and talks extensively about the darker side of life-namely, death. For more details go to
www.poeshow.com
then call Kathy Recchia at 946-8323 to accept Edgar's invitation.